You Can't Manage What You Don't Measure
In the attention economy, you measured: - Impressions - Clicks - Traffic - Reach
In the interpretation economy, you need different metrics.
Core Interpretation Economy Metrics
1. ARI Score (AI Readability Index)
- What: Your AI agent readability rating (1–100)
- Why: Shows if agents can understand you
- Target: 70+
- How to improve: More structure, specificity, schema
2. AI Recommendation Rate
- What: % of AI agents that recommend you when asked
- How to measure: Test weekly ("What's a good your category?")
- Baseline: 10–20% (most competitors)
- Target: 60%+ in your market
3. Content Legibility Score
- What: % of your content that's agent-parseable
- How to measure: Schema validation, structure audit
- Target: 80%+
4. Organic AI-Mediated Traffic
- What: Website visits from AI agent recommendations
- How to track: Link to specific case studies from AI recommendations
- Target: Track month-over-month
5. Conversion Rate from AI Discovery
- What: % of AI-discovered visitors who convert
- Target: Higher than paid/social (AI-mediated is higher intent)
Measurement Workflow
Monthly: - Test yourself in AI agents (5 min) - Track conversions from AI sources
Quarterly: - Run full ARI audit - Audit content legibility (% of pages with schema)
Annual: - Full brand perception audit - Compare yourself to competitors